This year’s World Series has all the ingredients to cook up an incredible Fall Classic.
We have two legendary franchises, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, meeting in Major League Baseball’s pinnacle series.
The venues are just as historic, Fenway Park and its “Green Monster” and Dodgers Stadium at Chavez Ravine.
On the field, the number of superstars in both dugouts and bullpens is blinding.
Dave Roberts’ Dodgers are led by ace Clayton Kershaw, and feature a roster that includes Manny Machado, Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, Cody Bellinger, and Kenley Jansen.
Alex Cora’s Red Sox also pack a punch, highlighted by the likes of MVP candidate Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale, David Price, and Craig Kimbrell.
So who wins?
The easy choice is Boston. The Red Sox were baseball’s best team during the regular season, winning an MLB best 108 games, and they knocked off the defending World Series champion Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, both of which were 100-win teams.
The Dodgers, who got to the World Series after beating the upstart Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, will need to be exceptional to get past Boston.
There are no weak spots in either batting order and both pitching staffs are downright nasty.
The World Series is going to come down to a handful of plays and managerial decisions, as it usually does.
I’m rooting for the Dodgers — given that they haven’t won it all since 1988 — but I’m picking the Red Sox (who last won in 2013) to win the World Series in six games.